In preparation for the Arclesia Empire’s Founding Anniversary Festival, I had invited Amel to my house so we could work on accessories together. They were the Winged Race accessories we planned to sell at our stall. Since the designs were quite simple, it was just a matter of combining the materials Amel had brought with her.
"So, I fit this in here, wrap the string over it like this... Oh, wow, this is much easier to make than I expected."
"Hmph. In the end, these are but goods for the masses. Since we require a volume that would paint the night sky like a meteor shower, no forbidden techniques were employed in their manufacture."
"True, it’s better for things to be simple if you’re making a lot of them."
"For the Winged Race, this is the only time our window to the world opens," Amel continued. "Though only a few of us are permitted to descend to the lands below, we never fail to fulfill the ancient contract signed with your nation."
"I see. So this is a really rare opportunity for your people."
From what I had heard from Amel herself, as well as Lilia-san and the others, the Winged Race was a truly reclusive race that rarely interacted with the outside world. Apparently, the Founding Anniversary Festival was the only event they ever participated in, solely because of their contract with the Arclesia Empire.
"If my Sworn Friend is interested in the Winged Race, I shall show you the way to the Promised Land. You shall have the right to choose the hour. Even if the time is not yet eternal, my hermitage shall always welcome you."
"Oh? Is it really okay for me to visit the Winged Race’s dwelling?"
Amel's offer was essentially an invitation to come hang out at her place sometime. However, back when we were testing out her chuunibyou merchandise, I’d gotten the impression that visiting her home would be a complicated affair.
Given how isolationist her race was, I had assumed I’d need to schedule a visit months in advance and deal with mountains of paperwork. But from her tone just now, it sounded like I could drop by whenever I wanted. Amel seemed to sense my confusion and let out a wry smile.
"It cannot be helped. Even I am not omniscient; I did not realize my Sworn Friend had received the Light of Creation upon his very soul."
"Wait, Shiro-san's Blessing has something to do with this?"
"Indeed. The Winged Race is a people of profound faith in the Gods and the world. We could never reject a Sworn Friend who bears the Light of Creation."
"I see. So because they’re a deeply religious race, they’ll welcome me instead of rejecting me since I have Shiro-san's Blessing. In that case, I'd definitely love to go visit your place sometime, Amel."
"Really?! I mean—yes! I wanted to invite my Sworn Friend to my home as well! Having a friend come over to visit is a first for me, and it will be so much fun—I mean... hmph! I shall look forward to the day we may exchange cups at my hermitage."
Upon hearing my response, Amel’s eyes lit up with such obvious joy that I could practically see the phantom image of a puppy wagging its tail with all its might. As was her habit, her dramatic persona crumbled for a moment before she frantically tried to patch it back together.
In any case, as we chatted and worked, the accessory production wrapped up much sooner than I’d expected. It made sense when I thought about it; the designs were simple, and we weren't planning for them to be our main product, so we only needed a small batch.
"We finished faster than I thought. What should we do next?"
"Then, following the providence of the stars, let us derive the light that indicates the True Source!"
"The original accessories we talked about, right? But making accessories from scratch is pretty difficult, isn't it? I'm not even sure where to start."
"Hmm, it is a vexing dilemma. By the way, how is my Sworn Friend’s skill regarding the arts... specifically, regarding sculpture and form?"
When it came down to actually producing the original accessories Amel wanted, I was at a bit of a loss. Designing jewelry seemed like hard work, and I had my doubts about whether a pair of complete amateurs like us could pull it off.
Setting that aside, she’d asked about sculpture... If I considered the fact that a piece I’d made was now being worshiped as the divine icon of the Gunlock Dragon, I supposed I’d accomplished a great feat. But it felt wrong to count that. After all, the end result had been nothing like what I’d actually intended to make.
"I'm not exactly confident in my skills," I admitted.
"I see," Amel replied. "I, too, lack deep insight into such matters. Darkness without the guidance of starlight is perilous... I find myself wishing for a mentor."
It might have been rude of me to think so, but Amel was surprisingly sensible. She rarely tried to force things through on pure momentum alone. Even now, while she clearly wanted to make these original accessories, she understood it was too much for us alone and correctly pointed out that we needed a guide.
"...Hmph. It seems you’re in a bind."
"The King of Hollow Illusions?!"
"Wait, Alice, are you going to teach us?"
"I wouldn't mind doing that, but I actually have something better! Behold: Alice-chan's Special Simple Accessory Creation Kit! There was a handmade accessory boom a while back, so I made this thinking it’d be a hit... but I over-engineered the quality. It became impossible to mass-produce, and the profit margins were too thin compared to the manufacturing costs, so I pulled it from the shelves."
I see. Calling it a 'leftover' might have sounded bad, but if the only reason it failed was that the quality was too high for the price point, then it had to be a top-tier product. With this, maybe Amel and I really could make those original accessories.
Serious-senpai: "Are you sure about this? Aren't you positioning yourself to land another body blow on Empress Chris's stomach?"